Cihan news agency reporter Lütfi Akyurt, who was covering the tragic deaths of Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and five others in a helicopter crash in the mountains of the southeastern province of Kahramanmaraş last month, was denied the right to board a military helicopter by a general who said they could not carry a civilian after learning that Akyurt worked for the Cihan news agency. Then, Akyurt pointed out that the other reporter on the helicopter, a Doğan news agency reporter, was also a civilian. But the general refused to allow him to board the helicopter and left him on the mountain. The attitude of the general toward the reporter was harshly criticized by journalists and press organizations, but the General Staff preferred to remain silent about the potentially fatal discrimination against the reporter.
A statement from the Diyarbakır Journalists Union (DGC) termed the incident “unacceptable,” calling on the General Staff to provide an immediate explanation in order to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Faruk Balıkçı, head of the Southeastern Journalists Union, also shared his reaction to the incident, saying: “What if that reporter had died in freezing cold? How could the General Staff give an account of this then? How would people’s consciences be relieved? This incident is neither humane nor moral.”
In the meantime, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy from Ankara Zeynep Dağı said she would bring it to the Parliament’s agenda by submitting an inquiry to Parliament today to launch an investigation into the incident. Indicating that there was both discrimination and inhumane behavior involved, Dağı said those who are responsible should be punished.
